Just when dating couldn't get any harder, a new trend has emerged that apparently eclipses the pain of being ghosted.
Modern dating is so tough because everything seems to hinge on technology, which acts as the tinder for a new flame - did you see what I did there?
Gone are the days of having a meet-cute where you accidentally bump into somebody at the coffee shop and it's love at first sight - if movies are to be believed.
Nowadays love is often established virtually, which leaves people susceptible to ghosting - which occurs when one person stops responding to the other without a word of warning.
Pretty harsh, right? Well, it would seem that something much worse is upon us as the ghosts are back from the dead as the new trend called being "zombied" has emerged.
Taking to TikTok, Singer-songwriter Mariel Darling said: "Girl, you're being ghosted? I'm out here being zombied."
If you're still unsure what the new trend means, Mariel clarifies that "it’s like ghosting, but he comes back from the dead after a couple of months and hits you up."
The name of the new trend certainly makes sense, and 1.5 million people have seen the video and seem to be in agreement.
In a follow-up video, Mariel compares the dating scene in New York City to an apocalypse movie "mixed with the ‘Thriller’ music video because all these boys are tap dancing around commitment."
People flooded the original video with their own experiences, as one person wrote: "Have you ever noticed that they all zombie you at the same time? Like why are four guys from my past all hitting me up on the same day?"
A second added: "It’s because the girl he thought was better than you realized he’s terrible and ghosted him!"
The official Ghostbusters TikTok account also let us know that we really are in trouble as they wrote: "Hmm…don’t know if our proton packs can handle a [zombie emoji]."
If the Ghostbusters can't help us, then dating may really be over.
While ghosting might be the easy way out for many daters scared to send a text to let their partner know they're ending things, it's always better to just be honest.
A simple message to tell a former date that you're not feeling it or would prefer to just be friends can end weeks of ambiguity on a much nicer note than just dropping off the face of the earth without a word.
And as for zombie-ing, there may be a valid excuse in some instances but if someone hasn't had the courtesy to send you a message to let you know what's going on then they probably don't deserve a second chance.
Have you had any experiences with being "zombied"? Let us know in the comments!
